Scientists win US$3mil for detecting Einstein's waves

Dr. Rainer Weiss, emeritus professor of physics at MIT, (C) and Dr. Kip Thorne of Caltech (R), listen during a news conference to discuss the detection of gravitational waves, ripples in space and time hypothesized by physicist Albert Einstein a century ago, in Washington February 11, 2016. REUTERS/Gary Cameron/Files

NEW YORK: Researchers who helped detect gravitational waves for the first time, confirming part of Albert Einstein's theory in a landmark moment in scientific history, will share a US$3mil (RM11.95mil) Special Breakthrough Prize, according to the prize's selection committee. 

The Breakthrough Prizes for scientific achievements were created by Russian billionaire Yuri Milner along with several technology pioneers, including Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Google co-founder Sergey Brin.